Residents in Cold Lake will see another increase on their property tax bills in 2026, as the provincial government raises the education requisition for the second year in a row.
The City of Cold Lake says the community will face an eight per cent increase in the education portion of property taxes, with the province collecting an additional $587,063 from local taxpayers.
That brings the total education requisition from approximately $7.5 million in 2025 to $8 million in 2026.
Second straight year of major increases
The latest increase follows a significant jump in 2025, when the education requisition rose from about $6.6 million to nearly $7.5 million — a 13 per cent increase.
Mayor Bob Mattice said the rising provincial tax is becoming harder to explain to residents, especially as the City works to keep its own increases low.
“We’ve worked hard to keep a minimal property tax increase in Cold Lake, so it’s difficult to explain to residents why they will see such significant increases on the non-municipal portion of their property tax bill,” Mattice said.
“We all know that, at the end of the day, there is only one taxpayer and that taxpayer is being squeezed from all sides as the cost for everything keeps going up.”
Pressure on local taxpayers
Mattice added that while the City has kept budgets conservative, outside cost pressures are making that more difficult.
“Cold Lake has for several years passed very conservative budgets that are being chipped away by inflation,” he said.
“We work our hardest to pass as little of these increases on to residents as possible, but the increases we are seeing in costs and taxes are not sustainable.”
What residents can expect
For the average Cold Lake home valued at $300,000, the increase means about $65 more in 2026 for the education portion of property taxes.
That comes on top of an estimated $120 increase in 2025 due to last year’s requisition hike.
While municipalities collect the education tax, they do not control it. The requisition is set by the provincial government and includes funding for education and seniors’ housing, with municipalities responsible for collecting and remitting the funds.
Across Alberta, some municipalities are seeing increases of more than 20 per cent, according to recent provincial announcements.
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Cold Lake Residents to Pay More as Provincial Education Tax Rises Again
Residents in Cold Lake will see another increase on their property tax bills in 2026, as the provincial government raises the education requisition for the second year in a row.
The City of Cold Lake says the community will face an eight per cent increase in the education portion of property taxes, with the province collecting an additional $587,063 from local taxpayers.
That brings the total education requisition from approximately $7.5 million in 2025 to $8 million in 2026.
Second straight year of major increases
The latest increase follows a significant jump in 2025, when the education requisition rose from about $6.6 million to nearly $7.5 million — a 13 per cent increase.
Mayor Bob Mattice said the rising provincial tax is becoming harder to explain to residents, especially as the City works to keep its own increases low.
“We’ve worked hard to keep a minimal property tax increase in Cold Lake, so it’s difficult to explain to residents why they will see such significant increases on the non-municipal portion of their property tax bill,” Mattice said.
“We all know that, at the end of the day, there is only one taxpayer and that taxpayer is being squeezed from all sides as the cost for everything keeps going up.”
Pressure on local taxpayers
Mattice added that while the City has kept budgets conservative, outside cost pressures are making that more difficult.
“Cold Lake has for several years passed very conservative budgets that are being chipped away by inflation,” he said.
“We work our hardest to pass as little of these increases on to residents as possible, but the increases we are seeing in costs and taxes are not sustainable.”
What residents can expect
For the average Cold Lake home valued at $300,000, the increase means about $65 more in 2026 for the education portion of property taxes.
That comes on top of an estimated $120 increase in 2025 due to last year’s requisition hike.
While municipalities collect the education tax, they do not control it. The requisition is set by the provincial government and includes funding for education and seniors’ housing, with municipalities responsible for collecting and remitting the funds.
Across Alberta, some municipalities are seeing increases of more than 20 per cent, according to recent provincial announcements.
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